IBM lays off 697 employees in Dutchess County

POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. -- IBM on Wednesday told nearly 700 of its employees in Dutchess County that their jobs are being eliminated, part of a global restructuring announced by the company in April, according to County Executive Marc Molinaro.

The affected employees are expected to continue to working through at least Sept. 10, Molinaro said.

In a prepared statement, Molinaro called the cuts a "further indication that the national and state economy remains uncertain."

Molinaro said the eliminated jobs total 697 and include 328 employees at IBM's Poughkeepsie plant and 369 in East Fishkill.

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IBM, as a matter of policy, doesn't make public announcements about layoffs. Molinaro said information about the local cuts was conveyed to the county by way of a correspondence between IBM and the Dutchess County Workforce Investment Board.

U.S. Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney, D-Cold Spring, called the cuts "devastating news for our neighbors and friends at IBM" and said he would work with other elected officials and community leaders to help impacted employees and their families.

IBM also is cutting jobs in Vermont, Massachusetts and North Carolina, according to The Associated Press.